


Home for the Holidays

by xRWBY (xtracurricular)



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Competition, F/F, First Time, Fluff and Smutt, Future Fic, Holiday, Smut, side bumbleby, the only violence is in the flashback sequence, the rest is just holiday shenanigans, uhh yang being a shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 21:49:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18764911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtracurricular/pseuds/xRWBY
Summary: Team RWBY rarely ever gets the chance to enjoy downtime. Being full-fledged huntresses means they are often wrapped up in some sort of mission full of strife, near-death experiences, and more often than not: Bloodshed. So when the team is presented with an opportunity to rest and relax, they naturally snap it up quick.Ruby and Weiss' relationship has been strained ever since a rather unfortunate mission a few months ago. When they're alone together Ruby finally gets fed-up with Weiss' silence.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> \o/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: The graphical violence is in this chapter and the next.

Team RWBY rarely ever gets the chance to enjoy downtime. Being full-fledged huntresses means they are often wrapped up in some sort of mission full of strife, near-death experiences, and more often than not: Bloodshed. So when the team is presented with an opportunity to rest and relax, they naturally snap it up quick. 

This particular well-earned vacation was prompted by the Winter Holidays. Operating primarily in Vale meant that, for team RWBY, “going home for the Holidays” really meant going to Patch for the holidays. Taiyang Xiao Long was accustomed to putting the girls up for an extended weekend, and never really minded doing so until... recently... Circumstances beyond his control had made it increasingly difficult to stay in his own home during the girls’ stay. He eventually opted to spend the Holidays with Qrow in the cabin they had refurbished a few miles away. Of course he would get together with his daughters and friends for the big Holiday meals, but Qrow would be just tolerable enough during the season to actually catch up with. 

Yang particularly enjoyed having the house to themselves, as this allowed her to actually feel as though she was the 23-year-old woman that she was. And not feel like Tai’s “sunny little dragon” all the damn time. Though she would begrudgingly admit she still found the nickname endearing. In any case, Yang Xiao Long, as badass and hotheaded as she so proudly claimed she was, was a stickler for excessive Winter Holiday decorations. With Weiss in the mix, this always made for some very long days where decorations would be put up, torn down, and put back up again. 

Always happy to be back home, Ruby immediately put herself in charge of the snack-gathering, and the most important task; cookie-baking. While Yang and Weiss clashed over which color tinsel would go best on the tree, the house would fill with the irresistible scent of homemade chocolate chip cookies. It was Ruby’s second favorite part of Winter Holiday. The first was, of course, the gifts. With gift-exchanging came the laughs and smiles from her teammates that Ruby cherished more than anything. During missions, which took up the bulk of their time together, Ruby missed seeing the warm grins and heartfelt laughter of her friends. The Winter Holidays brought all of the team’s joy back to the surface, along with the unspoken relief that they were all still alive. 

Blake, as always, chose a comfy seat by the fireplace and buried herself in the book she had been wanting to read all year that she never got to. And also blankets. The Rose/Xiao Long household seemed to have the warmest, softest blankets Blake had ever had the pleasure of being wrapped in. Patch had the unfortunate privilege of being cold and snowy during the winter months, something Blake had always dreaded, but somehow that dread had turned into anticipation in the last few years. She couldn’t wait for the cold now, couldn’t wait to be snowed in and indulge those plaid, knitted, planes of goodness. 

Once the girls fell into the Holiday routine, they finally began to relax, well, except for Blake who had been relaxing upon arrival. All of the decorations were permanently in place, cookies baked, gifts exchanged. They had several days left of just... Nothing. It was bliss, as it always was. At first. Boredom always reared its ugly head when one was accustomed to constant action for months on end. 

When Yang Xiao Long is bored, everyone in the vicinity is aware. They really don’t have a choice in the matter. And in the past two iterations of this Winter Holiday gathering at the Rose/Xiao Long household, that meant one of three things: Puns, a slew of bad decisions and board games, or slinking off somewhere with one Blake Belladonna. A few years ago, Yang and Blake had formally announced their relationship. The couple was largely inseparable, even insofar as refusing solo missions for a good six months. Two and a half years later, and the two were just as passionate about each other, and it showed no signs of stopping. 

 

This year, it seemed, Yang was going to keep skipping to option number three the whole vacation. So when Yang decided one Sunday to take Blake into town for a dinner date, no one was surprised, yet Ruby and Weiss were, as usual, disappointed. 

 

“Ughhh, seriously? This is like the third one this week!” Weiss accused, crossing her arms. 

 

“Actually,” Yang smiled cheekily “since its Sunday it’s technically the first time this week.”

 

One could practically hear Weiss’ teeth grinding. “That is not what I mean, and you know it.”

“Look, we offered to let you guys come with!” 

“Yes, because watching you make out with Blake for 2 hours is definitely how we want to spend our evening!” To the right of Yang, her arm looped around Yang’s own, Blake tried to conceal a blush, looking to the side.

Ruby piped up “Yeah, you know, I was on Yang’s side until you put it that way...”

“Hey!”

Ruby looked up at Yang “At least promise you’ll be here for dinner tomorrow.”

Yang sighed, guilt clawing at her just a little. “I promise, Ruby.” Blake looked back over and nodded to Ruby. 

“I’ll make sure she keeps it.” She said with a reassuring smile. 

“Hey, I was totally serious!” Yang giggled and playfully elbowed her. Blake stuck out her tongue briefly. Yang matched the gesture before she looked back down at Ruby. “We’ll be home by eleven, probably.” Ruby snorted. 

“Yeah, you better! There’s a midnight curfew in this house!” Ruby laughed along with her sister at that: Something Taiyang was infamous for reminding Yang when she was younger. 

After a little more hemming and hawing from Weiss the two finally got out the door. Ruby heard Yang’s car rev and pull out of the driveway, she always had to do that before actually driving, show off. Ruby shook her head and tried to find something to do, opting to open her scroll and start gaming, flopping down onto the couch with a sigh. Another sigh mirrored her own as Weiss sat down next to her, flipping open a book that Blake had lent her for the vacation. Generally, the two were just fine spending time together like this. Each wrapped up in their own hobby, being comfortably separate while still appreciating the presence of their companion. Lately though, their relationship had been... strained. 

It had all started after their last mission together. A particularly vicious Grimm had been reported in the south of Vale, tearing up trees and roads, and even some secluded hunting shack. Luckily no one had been inside when the thing attacked but those hunters were still nearby. Local authorities seemed to think it was an Ursa, which made sense considering the forested area and abundant caves. But something about the attacks didn't seem right. No one had actually seen the Grimm in question, but the damage was so widespread and devastating that it had to be either moving with considerable speed for an Ursa that size or be traveling with a pack that could do damage at multiple locations at once. Weiss was convinced that there had to be some sort of clue in the records for this area, Ruby, on the other hand, thought scouting and managing to actually spot the creature would be best. So the two split up, Weiss scouring the records in the nearby town, and Ruby scouting out around the ruins of the shack. 

Weiss’ efforts were rewarded with hardly anything useful; a sighting twenty years ago here, a four-year-old report of heightened Grimm activity there. Until she stumbled onto something odd. A dusty, old journal mixed in with the census taken of the area 50 years ago described a Manticore attack: a flock had ravaged the area after a land dispute between two ranchers, taking the lives of the ranch owners and their families. A surviving farmhand and owner of the journal wrote of a team of huntsmen who dispatched the Grimm, unfortunately after all the carnage. The farmhand witnessed this but made note of a curious find after the huntsmen had left. On the grounds of the farmhand’s former place of employ laid a massive Manticore wing, assumedly a leftover from the battle with the huntsmen. The journal stopped being useful after that, but Weiss had learned all she needed to draw her own conclusions. Could the Grimm they were hunting be a giant Manticore? It was possible. She had to get this information to Ruby as soon as possible. As soon as she exited the Records Office of the local library, she opened her scroll and texted Ruby her findings. 

Hey, expand your search parameters to include “Manticore” we might not be dealing with an Ursa. 

Okie dokie!!!! You done researching yet

Yes, for now.  
Location?

13 k west of shack  
Found a trail!

Okay, I’m heading to you. 

E.t.a.

30 Minutes at least.  
You remembered to turn your text tone off this time, right?  
You’re generally supposed to stay quiet while tracking Grimm, remember?  
Ruby?  
Ruby?  
(Read 1:43 pm)

Ruby flipped the button that set her scroll to vibrate as she dove down into the thick underbrush surrounding the trail she had been following. She stuffed it into the back pocket of her combat skirt hurriedly while placing a cautious hand on Crescent Rose. The snuffling of a Beowulf filled the air nearby as the leaves under its dark paws crunched with every step. There was no way it didn’t see the scattering of rose petals just seconds before it emerged onto the path Ruby had been following. It was on high alert. 

Ruby’s fingers slowly closed around Crescent Rose as she prepared to pull it from its magnetic sheath. If Ruby had the slightest expectation that being 21 would instantly cure the little mistakes that she made that tended to make her job harder, she had been wrong. She almost failed to suppress a sigh and instantly snapped back into focus. The Beowulf had stopped and was raising its head, sniffing the air now, a rose petal stuck to its nose seeming to distract it. Ruby recognized her chance and with practiced speed and precision, darted out from beneath the brush with Crescent Rose drawn. She cleaved the Beowulf in two before it even had the chance to yelp. Sighing aloud, Ruby kneeled down to catch her breath. Her heart pounded with the thrill of her success, not with effort like it used to. Killing Grimm had almost become as easy as breathing, she felt it, the whole team felt it. They were a well-oiled machine. With their Mission-to-gruesome injury ratio being 12 and 0, they were doing better than ever. Ruby had never felt prouder. Not just of herself for being able to lead the team so well, but of everyone.

She withdrew Crescent Rose back into its compact form and sheathed it before deciding to find a higher vantage point from which to search. She scaled a tree in a blur of rose petals and looked out over the forest, using her hand to shade her eyes. This was as good a spot to wait for Weiss as any, she supposed. 

-x-

Punctual as always, Weiss arrived exactly a half hour later. “Ruby!” Her voice was a harsh whisper. “Where are you?”

Ruby dropped down in front of her. “Hi, Weiss.” She snickered as Weiss nearly jumped out of her skin. 

“Ruby Rose, I will literally turn around and go back to town.”

“Awww, Weiss, no!” Ruby had a hard time keeping her voice hushed with all the laughter bubbling up behind her words. Weiss rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, her usual sign of discontent.

“Okay, Ruby, what have you got?” Weiss asked, doing her best to ignore Ruby’s ridiculous smile. Ruby straightened up and cleared her throat, taking Weiss’ hint that it was Mission Time now and to save the joking around for later. 

“Okay, so I was able to track some large prints to this path. It looks pretty well traveled by Grimm, so I was trying to figure out which prints matched our big bad... whatever it ends up being.” The two began to walk along the trail. “I was up there” Ruby nods her head up toward the tree she had been waiting in. “so that I could try to spot a cave or something shelter-y that could house a Grimm that big. I think I might’ve found it, it’s about a hundred-fifty feet that-a-way.” She points to the southwest. Weiss nodded, taking in the information. 

“So, what does it look like, is it a cave?”

“Yeah, it was almost like a huge tree was torn up out of the ground and sort of covered the entrance. It’s gonna be hard to miss.” Weiss nodded again as they headed in the direction of the cave. It was a short, but tense walk, both women alert, their eyes darting to cover every angle of their approach. 

They knelt down behind a large rock about 20 feet away from the cave entrance. Listening carefully, neither Ruby nor Weiss could hear any stirring coming from inside. Usually from that distance a resting Grimm’s breathing could be clearly heard. That either boded well, or not great. Ruby gave Weiss a look that told her she was going to sneak in closer to investigate. Weiss’s eyes flashed with worry, but she nodded in confirmation anyway. Ruby gathered herself before crawling out from behind the rock and creeping slowly toward the mouth of the cave. It was nearly fifteen feet tall and half-obscured by a gnarled and twisted tree-trunk. Not the most inviting-looking place. 

She was hyper-aware of every sound she made, leaves crunched softly beneath her feet. They grew damper as she approached the cave mouth, the abundance of trees and thicker undergrowth in this area keeping moisture trapped from a recent rainfall. It helped muffle her steps. She could suddenly smell the presence of a Grimm as she got within five feet. Foul and festering, like the smell of corpses in the mud. She nearly gagged but instincts kept her from making noise as she eased Crescent Rose out of its magnetic holster. She still couldn’t hear anything coming from inside the cave. 

After a quick glance behind her she stepped into the cave proper. She grimaced as something white beneath her boots cracked and then snapped as she tried to sidestep. Not wanting to think about what the floor of the cave was littered with, she continued deeper in. In the dim light she could make out nothing of interest. The tracks she was looking for were definitely from whatever Grimm lived here, but it was not currently inside. Ruby’s optimistic outlook on this situation was beginning to fade. Quickly. Especially when the roar of a Grimm pierced the still air outside the cave from just east of the two. Another of Weiss’ harsh whispers sounded from behind the rock. 

“Ruby, get out of there! It’s coming this way!”

Ruby turned on her heels and dashed back towards Weiss, diving behind the rock just before the roaring Grimm emerged from the trees. It sounded big. Its grunts and growls echoed into the cave and practically shook the ground. Ruby’s chest heaved as she quietly tried to catch her breath, breathing through her nose. She and Weiss exchanged looks, both too focused on not making a sound to determine what their next action should be. Weiss’s throat bobbed as she swallowed and readied Myternaster, raising her eyebrow at Ruby in silent question. Fight? Before Ruby could decide on a response a saber-sized claw buried itself in her right shoulder and she could hardly hear herself scream as she was pulled out from behind the rock. 

“RUBY!”

Weiss sprang into action without a second thought. Glyphs sprouting shards of ice surrounded the Grimm, momentarily catching it off guard. Ruby was flung from its claw and she hit the ground hard. In the brief moment the Grimm was distracted Weiss summoned her Knight. She had become much more efficient at summoning in the past few years, but at this point she wasn't sure if it was her skill or desperation that had allowed her to summon this quickly. 

Weiss’ eyes were wide with fear, adrenalin, anger. Her teeth were clenched tight almost painfully, she wasn’t sure what exactly was blurring her vision but from what she could see, their foe was indeed a Manticore. A very, very, big Manticore. Her Knight grappled with the beast, attempted to cripple it, the summons sword being held at bay by the Manticore’s claws. She set down more glyphs in a path to flank the Grimm, propelling herself around to its right hind leg. 

She loaded a vial of red dust into Myternaster and took a shot, the dust blowing open the Grimm’s limb and showering her with flecks of black blood and ash. The Grimm let out a blood-curdling cry and managed to snap its jaws into the armor of her summoned Knight, crushing it and dissipating the summon. Weiss cursed and tried to confuse the Manticore, laying down glyphs that surrounded the beast once more, using them to strike the manticore with Myternaster, moving at great speed, shallow cuts, but spread out in a way that would make her a hard target to hit. 

But Weiss could only keep that up for so long. Her aura was quick to fade after summoning, and out of her teammates, she admittedly had the least amount of stamina. Luckily the Manticore was reeling. If Weiss was correct, this Manticore was old, and definitely injured prior to their encounter with it. However, despite this, it was able to survive Weiss’ barrage. And while Weiss staggered back, panting, and shaking from exertion, the Manticore raised its clawed paw up high, preparing to strike. Weiss could only raise Myternaster in a block, bracing herself. 

But whatever impact Weiss was expecting never came. A sniper rifle blast sounded from her right, and Crescent Rose whirled in Ruby’s hands as she shot forward, cleaving the Manticore from its underarm clean through its neck. Ruby landed in a flurry of leaves as she skidded across the ground facing upward. Weiss’ last burst of adrenalin carried her to Ruby’s side. The Manticore dissolved into dust behind them. 

“Ruby?!” It was only then Weiss realized what was blurring her vision, as tears dropped onto the back of her hands. She was gripping Ruby’s arm tight. 

“Hey, Weiss.” Ruby replied weakly. Weiss felt relief wash over her, but the feeling was soon replaced with panic as she saw how pale Ruby was getting. Her eyes flicked to the wound on Ruby’s shoulder. It was bad, bleeding freely. Weiss stripped off her jacket and began tying it securely around Ruby’s shoulder. Ruby barely winced as Weiss touched her, her eyes were starting to roll into the back of her head. 

“D-Don’t you d-dare faint on me!” Weiss was shocked at how much her voice was shaking. Had it really been that long since she dealt with an injury like this during a mission? She was trained for this. This was normal. Why was it so scary this time? “Hey, a-are you listening to me?!” Ruby’s head jerked up and down as she tried to maintain consciousness, but Weiss could see her slipping.

Ruby could feel her aura trying to keep control over the wound, but all she could focus on was trying not to pass out. Weiss’ voice sounded so far away. “Hey, Weiss...” Ruby’s voice was slow, and a bit slurred. “Saw you fight... you were... ‘mazing...” Weiss was back to squeezing Ruby’s arm now in an attempt to keep her conscious. Her cheeks turned pink at the comment in spite of her current emotional state. 

“Thank you, Ruby.” Weiss hoped that conversation would help. “You did good too, but now we have to get back to town and get you to a hospital, okay?” It didn’t seem like Ruby even heard her. 

“Always... so ‘mazing...” She mumbled, gazing up at Weiss. Her eyelids fluttered. Weiss rolled her eyes and tried to sit Ruby up to help her snap out of it. Her arms encircled Ruby’s shoulders as she bent down and began to lift her up. Ruby clutched at the back of her shirt in what Weiss assumed was an effort to aid Weiss in lifting her, until of course, Ruby nuzzled into her neck and pulled her closer. Weiss felt her face heat up even more. 

“No, no, no, Ruby, we’re sitting up now, come on.” Ruby didn’t move, in fact Weiss swore her grip became tighter. 

“Love... watching you fight... so pretty...”

Weiss stammered for a moment, blinking down at Ruby. “S-stop saying nonsense, you dolt, of course I’m graceful; I’m a Schnee!” Weiss continued to lift her, sitting back, Ruby’s weight leaning fully onto her. Ruby groaned as the pain in her shoulder intensified as she shifted, but Weiss’ warmth easily comforted her. She smiled into Weiss’ neck, feeling just a touch too dizzy to be okay.

“You smell nice…” Her sigh tickled Weiss’ neck. Weiss was grateful that Ruby could not see her face, as she was certain she looked a lot like a tomato. She did her best to brush the comment off, Ruby was obviously growing delirious.

“Come on, can you stand?”

“Not sure.” 

“Okay, well let’s try.” Weiss slowly rose to her feet, dragging Ruby up with her, her arms moving to wrap around her torso in an effort to avoid irritating her shoulder. Ruby was practically dead weight, but Weiss could feel her at least attempt to gain her footing. “That’s it…” She shifted to her left so Ruby’s left arm was slung around her shoulder. Ruby suddenly went completely limp. “Ruby?”

Ruby did not recall losing consciousness then, but the next thing she knew she was leaning against Weiss’ back, barely able to keep her eyes open. She could hear her panting and cursing under her breath as she trudged through the forest. Something about picturing Weiss carrying her on her back like this was funny, her face was probably stuck in one of those frustrated scowls. The image made Ruby smile. A lot about Weiss made her smile. The way she rolled her eyes and looked away while trying to hide a smile, the little twitch her lips did when Ruby told a lame joke, Her laugh. Especially that, since it was so rare.

Ruby had not remembered saying anything after that until she woke up in the hospital, but apparently, she had to have said something or done something. Because since that walk out of the forest Weiss had been actively avoiding her. It wasn’t like Weiss was not trying to be surreptitious about it, Ruby doubted Blake and Yang had even noticed. They still bantered and poked fun at each other on missions with the four of them together, as they always had, but there was nothing else. Ruby liked to think their relationship had grown into a deep friendship, and that she could trust Weiss with anything, she still thought that. She also like to think that Weiss reciprocated that trust, but lately she wasn’t sure what exactly was going on with her.

If Weiss had been just as abrasive with Blake or Yang, Ruby would’ve addressed the problem with her, but it she was only doing it around Ruby.

-x-

Ruby sunk deeper into the couch upon recalling all that. The enemy NPC in Super Ninja Warrior 3 was kicking her virtual ass. She guessed that was fair, seeing as she had just spaced out completely. She glanced at the clock sitting on top of the holo-projector. Had it really only been ten minutes since she sat down? It felt like an hour had gone by. She stretched her arms up over her head and winced at the sharp pain that stabs her shoulder. It had been three months since the wound healed up, but it still bothered her occasionally. She heard Weiss stir beside her and glanced over at her. The two locked eyes, Weiss was starting to open her mouth to say something before she looked away. Ruby frowned, seeing that momentary hesitation just fed into the fear that Weiss was trying to avoid talking to her.

Ruby decided she’d had enough. “Weiss.”

“Hmm?” She didn’t look up from the book in her hands. Ruby put her scroll down and scooted closer.

“Are you mad at me?”

Weiss gave a start and looked up from the book, tilting her head at Ruby indignantly. “What? No, why would I be mad at you?” She was good at recovering from vulnerable displays of emotion but Ruby definitely caught the flicker of apprehension in her eyes. So Weiss was hiding something…

“If you’re not mad then why don’t you talk to me?” Ruby asked. “You haven’t talked to me in, like, months!”

“What? No,” Weiss sputtered, “that’s ridiculous, Ruby, of course I’ve talked to you, we talk practically every day! We’re talking right now!” Ruby shook her head.

“You’ve been talking at me, it’s like you don’t actually want me to respond.” Ruby’s expression faltered, the accusatory tone of her voice being exchanged for sincerity. “I wanna know what’s bothering you.” Weiss looked caught off-guard; her eyes wide. There was a moment of silence, Weiss looking around like she was searching for some avenue of escape before she finally sighed. Relenting, she lowered her head, hiding her face in her hands, her long ponytail falling over her shoulder. Ruby immediately placed her hand on the shoulder unoccupied by long white locks, face full of sympathy and concern. Almost unnoticeably, Weiss leaned into her touch. 

“You really don’t.”

Ruby was confused at the very least, she wasn’t expecting Weiss to sound so miserable about whatever it was. Did she mess up their relationship that bad?

“Please?” Ruby felt Weiss tense under her hand, making her feel increasingly worse about this whole situation. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked. She shouldn’t have pried, Weiss was just going to keep getting more upset by her.

She was about to drop the whole thing just before she felt Weiss’ hand cover her own. Weiss lifted her head up to meet Ruby’s gaze. She took a deep breath before speaking.

“Ruby, I have a serious question for you.” Her eyes were intense, and it was Ruby’s turn to be caught off guard.

“Huh? Wha—I thought I was asking you the questions here.” She chuckled nervously. Those blue eyes were like an impenetrable wall of ice. 

“I’m not kidding, Ruby.” Weiss’ eyes narrowed. Ruby gulped, a little intimidated by her right now, in all honesty. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll be serious, I’m sorry.” Weiss fell silent for another few seconds. 

“Do you…” Weiss visibly hesitated, dropping her eyes, and Ruby could see the tendons in her neck pulsing in and out with her heartbeat. Her gaze quickly flicked back up to Weiss’ eyes which stared back at her. “Do you have feelings for me?” She rushed the sentence out all at once, her cheeks lighting up in an involuntary blush. And for once, Ruby couldn’t find a single word to say.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss recalls the mission's end from her perspective. Plus some confessions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Blood descriptions.

Weiss quickly discovered just how heavy Ruby Rose could be when she was unconscious. She could get her to the ATV they had rented for the mission, it wasn’t too far, but it would be a slow walk. Thankful for the fact that she had traded in heels for combat boots within the last few years, the terrain underfoot was manageable, not a lot to slip on. A surprise tumble would not be a great thing for either of them. Weiss paused to heft Ruby higher on her back, without her arms secure around Weiss’ shoulders, Ruby was in danger of slipping or falling backwards if Weiss didn’t hunch over slightly. This was not great for the duelist’s back. On top of all that, she was all too aware of blood seeping slowly into the back of her shirt from Ruby’s wound. 

With a frustrated growl she pressed on. “Stupid Manticore…” She heard Ruby grunt softly into her shoulder. It reminded her of the urgency she had been feeling only moments ago. She forced herself to move a little faster. She had to stop a few minutes later to catch her breath and shift Ruby upward again.

“Mmf…” Ruby’s voice was muffled against her shoulder. Weiss paused.

“Ruby? Are you awake?” There was no answer from her shoulder. She sighed and hefted Ruby a little higher, preparing to move on, Ruby’s chin settled on top of her shoulder now. The heat of the day was reaching its peak, and Weiss felt sweat drip down her face and dampen the front of her cotton shirt. If she knew it would be this damn hot, she would’ve worn short-sleeves, it was late fall for heaven’s sake.

Twenty more minutes into her trek and she couldn’t help from cursing her situation, foregoing any verbal propriety she had left. Every misstep had her swearing at the ground, every stray branch that hit her face earned itself a profanity as well. She didn’t register Ruby stirring as she carefully stepped over a divot in the trail. Ruby turned her head so that her mouth was pressed against Weiss’ neck as a consequence. Weiss shivered involuntarily and ground her teeth as she kept walking.

“Love you…” Weiss froze. Her body twisted as she craned her neck to stare at Ruby. She was still unconscious. Her knees wobbled a bit, and it wasn’t from Ruby’s weight. She tried to steel herself, but it made no difference, for a moment she couldn’t function.

“You—You’ve g-got to be kidding me.” She stuttered out the sentence to no one but herself. Her face felt like it was on fire, and the sweat rolling down from her hairline actually felt cool. She could hear her own heartbeat pulse in her ears. She turned to look forward after her moment of shock was over, and slowly began walking again. She could only hear her heartbeat.

-x-

She was in a daze when she cleared away the leaves covering the ATV. Her mind was racing. That had to be literally anything but Ruby actually lucid and speaking. It had to be a fluke, unconscious mumbling. Maybe she heard wrong. No… there was no way, with Ruby’s voice right next to her ear, she could have misheard. Ruby had spoken so clearly, so suddenly. It had to be because Ruby was dreaming or something, that had to be it. Weiss couldn’t say that she had never considered feeling something for Ruby. In fact, as she was setting Ruby onto the ATV, her brain decided to remind her exactly what she had considered over the last few years.

Ruby’s face crept into her dreams, so welcoming and warm. She felt safe with her there, her silver eyes scared away her nightmares. She recalled, several times, wishing that their hugs after victory, or when one of them returned after being gone for a time, lasted longer. She wished she could stay wrapped in Ruby’s cloak long after she had stopped being cold. She wished Ruby would crawl into her bunk, like she used to in their early years at Beacon when she couldn’t sleep, and annoy her until morning, even though Ruby had long outgrown the restlessness she had back then. She wished she could gaze at her smile without getting caught and drown in it. She wished she could bury her face into the taller woman’s shirt and fill her head with the scent of roses.

She suddenly snapped back into reality when she felt a cold drop of rain hit her nose. Heat didn’t always mean sunshine in fall she thought, miserably, and in the shade of the trees she hadn’t noticed the storm roll in overhead. She quickly seated herself on the ATV, making sure Ruby was secure in front of her, and started the thirty-minute ride back to town.

-x-

In the few months following their mission in the forest, they grouped back up with Blake and Yang to complete a bounty mission. Weiss used the new mission as an excuse to distract herself. She spent extra time doing research, reconnaissance with Blake, sparring with Yang. Pretty much everything she could do to keep herself from thinking of Ruby. Everything was going smoothly like that except for when the actual fighting started. Multiple packs of Grimm had to be dealt with, as well as an artifact recovered. 

She and Ruby were out of synch. It wasn’t too noticeable from the outside looking in, they only seemed to be using their duo techniques less often. Weiss was able to pick up her own slack with Yang since they had been sparring so often after reuniting, but Ruby was hurt, and it showed itself in the form of recklessness. Weiss was ignoring it. Weiss had often ignored Ruby’s brashness in the beginning of their partnership, but Weiss had learned over time that when Ruby didn’t have a plan it meant something was wrong. A few unnecessary risks was nothing major, but when Yang Xiao Long yells at someone for being “too fucking impulsive” there is definitely a problem.

After an awkward night wherein every member of team RWBY was tense and tiptoeing around each other, Ruby finally got over the immediate hurt of her partner being unfairly distant. The rest of the mission went off without a hitch, the artifact was recovered, the offending Grimm destroyed, and Lien in hand. Yang bought them all drinks, especially since October 31st had just passed, entering Ruby into Vale’s legal drinking age. Of course, Weiss had the feeling Ruby was going to be about as much of a drinker as she was, that is to say, not a drinker. Mutual family alcoholism and all that. 

After that mission was over the four of them decided to stay together, taking a few more missions before the start of the winter months. Team RWBY felt like it used to, like it always did, like family. Especially to Weiss. Team RWBY became her family, more so than her blood relatives ever could. If she had to throw away every last bit of Schnee left in Atlas in order to keep her team together, she would do it without hesitation. Her family had become more important to her than, well, her. It was why this situation with Ruby was so difficult. She didn’t want to risk what she had, she didn’t want it to fall apart.

When team RWBY decided to visit Patch for the Holidays, as they did every year, Weiss felt a growing pit in her stomach.

-x-

Weiss watched Ruby’s face as she tried to ignore how her stomach was roiling, she could practically see the gears turning in her head. What had she just done? Stupid! Just flat-out asking her that? Idiot! Weiss fought a wave of nausea at the very idea of this backfiring on her. She wanted to say something, literally anything, the silence was just making it worse, and Ruby was just staring, her lips parted in what remained of a startled expression. Her mouth felt like a desert, her face was aflame, her body was rigid. She had never been more scared in her life. She had to say something.

“Ru—”

“Weiss…” Ruby’s voice made her jump.

-x-

Ruby could see Weiss, but it was like she is a universe away. “Do you have feelings for me?” Ruby couldn’t find a way to say what she wanted. Yes? Was it just… Yes? It had to be more than just yes. It was her first instinct, so she should say it. Of course she had feelings for Weiss, she had lots of feelings for Weiss. They were all different: Admiration, adoration, protection, comfort, aching, longing, concern, worry. All of these things; could they be narrowed down into one thing? Ruby wasn’t totally sure. She grappled with the idea, kind of envisioning a loading screen in her head. Wow she really needed to stop playing Super Ninja Warrior… She reentered the universe when she heard Weiss start to say her name. She cut her off.

“Weiss…” She felt Weiss jump and moved her hand from her shoulder to gently take hold of Weiss’ hand. “Yeah.” She smiled softly and her eyes relaxed. She watched as Weiss blinked repeatedly, her brows furrowing. It was cute the way she did that. Oh. Oh, okay, that was different. 

“You—you mean you… You…” Ruby couldn’t stop the giggle that slipped past her lips. Weiss suddenly sounded indignant. “Don’t you dare laugh!” Ruby didn’t try to stop the giggles this time. Weiss had this weird look on her face, it was a mixture of relief, confusion, and still a little anxiety. “Ruby…”

“Mmhm?” The jovial air seemed to change slowly, Weiss looking vulnerable for the first time in… Maybe she never looked this vulnerable before. Ruby immediately softened, her thumb idly stroking the back of Weiss’ hand. She felt her shiver.

“I… want to be sure… I want you to know…” Weiss grimaced at her own awkwardness before sighing and giving Ruby that intense look again. “I love you, I have for a while.” Realization hit Ruby like an ATV.

“I love you too.” It comes out louder than she intended, her voice cracking a bit. Weiss’ expression changed to something she couldn’t read. But whatever Ruby had been thinking about was erased in an instant because Weiss kissed her.

Of anything Ruby has ever felt, this, she decided, was the best thing. Tingles ran down her spine as her eyelids fluttered shut. Weiss’ lips were so incredibly soft, Ruby felt like she was melting on the spot. When Weiss pulled back, it was far too soon. Her face was bright red, her lips only just parted, her brows furrowed yet again. Ruby didn’t think she’d ever looked prettier than she did now. When Weiss bit her bottom lip, Ruby subconsciously licked her own. Weiss’ eyes widened a fraction and her lips twitched like she was trying to form words.

Ruby’s lips pressed against them before any could come out. Weiss’ eyes slid shut, and she threw her arms around Ruby’s neck. Ruby hugged her close and their noses bumped together. When Weiss tilted her head to find a better angle with which to attack Ruby’s lips with her own, Ruby realized two things. One, Weiss had definitely kissed someone before, and two, she was really, really good at it. Ruby let Weiss guide her, mimicking the way her mouth moves against her own.

It was bliss. And this time boredom didn’t seem to follow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Blake come home from dinner to an unexpected scene. Shopping involves Yang grilling Ruby for "the deets", and Yang challenges her sister to some friendly competition. Movie night shenanigans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yang has big bastard energy, but I love her so, so much.

“So, did you like that place?” Yang casually asked on the drive back to the house. Blake smiled as she looked out the window and watched the trees blur past. 

“Yeah, it was nice.” Blake knew that despite Yang’s nonchalance, she had been waiting to take Blake to that restaurant for a while, and she had been anxious for their date to go well. It wasn’t often that Yang suggested such a romantic locale; dim lights, fancy tablecloths, and they had even ordered wine instead of cocktails. Blake secretly adored that kind of atmosphere, and she could tell, when Yang told her to dress up for the occasion, that it was going to be something special. 

They pulled into the driveway and exited the car, intertwining fingers on the way to the door. Yang almost made it to the actual entryway before kissing Blake. Usually she didn’t even wait this long, preferring to indulge in kissing her girlfriend as she got out of the car. Blake thought it was ridiculous, the way Yang had made a habit out of it, but she acquiesced without complaint every time. Yang pulled back and cracked a sideways smile, proud of herself for waiting until they left the driveway to kiss her. Blake rolled her eyes and chuckled, elbowing her gently as Yang reached into her pocket for the house keys.

-x-

“Hey, we’re bac—" Yang announced as she and Blake entered the house, but the two only made it a couple steps in before they were greeted with a rather unexpected sight: Weiss’ face, shocked and flushed, mouth agape. She stared at them, motionless, hair partly disheveled. “—Wow, okay.”

Weiss sprung off of Ruby quicker than Yang thought she’d ever seen her move, and Ruby joined Weiss in standing, hands behind her back. Her face was reminiscent of a puppy who had gotten into something it shouldn’t have, but much redder. “Um…” Ruby starts. Yang turned her head towards Weiss and grinned mischievously. 

“So, Ruby finally snapped, huh? ‘Bout fuckin’ time.” Yang laughed when Weiss stammered indignantly. Blake covered her amused smile with her hand. Ruby looked from Yang to Weiss and back to Yang again, confused.

“What is that supposed to mean!?” Weiss finally spat out.

“Please, you think we didn’t notice you avoiding Ruby these past couple months?” Yang crossed her arms. “My sister is literally incapable of dealing with the ‘cold shoulder,’ Weiss. Trust me, I’ve tried it, I would know.” Ruby opened her mouth to protest but considered the accusation for a moment before her shoulders drooped in defeat. Yang shed the rest of her coat and hung it up on the nearby coatrack. She then walked over to Ruby and Weiss, arms still crossed. 

“If you guys really reconciled though…” She smiled, genuinely. “Then I’m cool with you.” Weiss looked over at Ruby who returned her gaze. After a moment, and what seemed like some kind of silent affirmation, Weiss looked up at Yang.

“Yeah, we… We did.” Yang nodded, satisfied. 

“Alright then, in that case…” Yang strode over to Ruby and captured her in a tight hug that eventually turned into a playful headlock, Yang mussing up Ruby’s hair. “Proud of you for finally realizing what an absolute babe your partner is.” 

“Yang!” Ruby reddened again and tried to push Yang away halfheartedly.

“Hey! I’m right here!” Weiss stamped her foot, but her outburst went unnoticed by the sisters. She jumped when Blake placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You really like her?” Blake asked, but she was already confident in the answer as she gestured at Ruby. Weiss avoided her gaze, suddenly embarrassed.

“I really do…” Her cheeks got redder. Blake chuckled and nudged Weiss so she’d look at her.

“I think it’s cute the way you’ve been hiding it these past couple months.” 

“Oh, would you stop.” Weiss begged.

“No, I’m serious.” Blake smiled softly. “It reminds me of how I was with Yang.” Weiss paused, recognizing Blake’s sincerity, and tilted her head.

“You didn’t tell Yang you had feelings for her?” Blake covered her mouth as she snickered.

“Of course not, I had a crush on her after the first month we spent at Beacon.” Weiss looked flabbergasted.

“No…”

“Yep!” Blake laughed. “It takes a lot of courage to let someone know how you feel. That applies to pretty much everybody. Courage, and in most cases, time.” It had taken Blake years to embrace her feelings for Yang, and vice versa. Of course, they’d always felt love for each other, but admitting it was an entirely different circumstance. Weiss was silent for a moment, watching Ruby and Yang as they roughhoused.

“Thank you, Blake.” Weiss gave Blake a small smile. Blake hugged Weiss with one arm in return, squeezing her arm supportively.

As Weiss and Blake continued to watch the two sisters, Weiss thought the room felt warmer. It may have been the crackling hearth, or the central heat kicking in, or what was left over from red faces and heated kisses, but Weiss was finally comfortably warm for the first time in a while.

-x- 

The rest of the evening went by in a whirlwind of laughs and midnight cookies, but as the hours crept into the early morning, the girls decided to retire for the night. Ruby caught the risqué look Yang gave Blake before they made their way upstairs from the kitchen and made a gagging motion at Weiss who tried to suppress a snort of laughter. Ruby giggled along and finished her last cookie, plunging it into the glass of milk next to her plate.

Once the two cleaned off the table and Ruby brushed any remaining crumbs off her shirt, they headed upstairs as well. Ruby’s room was at the end of the hall and having two beds meant that Weiss got to bunk with her during vacation. Ruby hadn’t thought much about it in the past seeing as they had been bunkbed-mates at Beacon and put their sleeping bags next to each other’s while camping out, but after this afternoon she’d been purposely putting their sleeping arrangements out of her mind. 

Now she had to face the present head on and face the fact that she was over a hundred percent sure that she, really, wanted to sleep in the same bed as Weiss. She was not quite sure when the desire sprang into her mind, possibly when she paused while kissing Weiss that afternoon to just look at her face, curiosity momentarily interrupting her eagerness to keep pressing her lips against Weiss.’ She had looked so excruciatingly cute, her cheeks matched the deep pink shade of her lips, and her eyes were just barely open enough to gaze down at Ruby, crystalline despite being shaded by pale lashes. It had been more than enough to cause Ruby to just stop and stare for a while before Weiss got impatient and started kissing her again.

She recalled briefly wondering what Weiss’ face would look like while she slept, she had never really examined it before. That must’ve been when the idea of sleeping next to her sparked into her thoughts. Ruby snapped back into the present when Weiss cleared her throat, gesturing to the door to Ruby’s room which was now directly in front of them.

“Ruby, will you please open the door already, I don’t want to be able to hear your sister and Blake ‘get started.’” She was crossing her arms and glaring at Yang’s room down the hall. Ruby hastily fumbled with the door handle.

“Ew, right!” She opened the door and let Weiss walk in before her. She quickly shut the door before walking over to her dresser and picking out pajamas to throw on.

-x-

“Hey Weiss…”

Weiss rolled over onto her side to check the clock on Ruby’s wall: 4 am. She sighed heavily.

“Ugh, what is it, Ruby?”

“I can’t sleep…” Weiss’ eyebrow rose. “Can I, um… sleep with you? … … Oh, shit, I didn’t mean like, in that way! I meant like, can I join you? Okay, it sounds weird when I say it like that—” Weiss could feel her face redden, mostly in secondhand embarrassment for Ruby’s sake. She rolled over to face Ruby’s side of the room before her partner could say anything else that was unfortunately phrased.

“Just get over here, you dolt.” 

Ruby paused to take a breath before preparing to say something in response before she stopped. Weiss heard blankets rustling and footsteps that made the floor creak as Ruby carefully made her way over to Weiss’ bed. Weiss lifted up the covers as an invitation for Ruby, sighing exasperatedly as she started to make out her face in the darkness. “You may sleep in my bed, as long as you behave, its late!” She said, echoing something she had repeated many times to her partner when they were younger, at Beacon. Ruby giggled softly, apparently recognizing the same old line.

Ruby slid into bed next to her, cozying up to her side. Weiss dropped the blankets she was lifting which draped over Ruby, and then gingerly placed her hand on Ruby’s arm. They were facing each other, and Weiss could now clearly see Ruby’s wide smile.

“Thanks Weiss!” Weiss rolled her eyes at the volume at which Ruby exclaimed her thanks. 

“Shhh!” Weiss paused for a moment before she decided to break from their bed-sharing tradition, and placed a chaste kiss onto Ruby’s forehead, hoping Ruby couldn’t see her reddening.

Ruby gave her a toothy smile when she pulled away and then closed her eyes.

“G’night, Weiss. I love you…” Weiss felt herself smile uncontrollably.

“I love you too, Ruby.”

-x-

The next day started just like any other Winter Holiday vacation day; Yang and Ruby making breakfast and a mess of the kitchen, while Blake and Weiss chatted over morning tea and coffee respectively.

The four of them decided that today would be a nice day to go shopping, each of them planning on getting each other one last gift like they do every year. They took Yang’s car to Patch’s central strip mall and split into pairs, Yang and Ruby, Blake with Weiss. They would switch partners in the middle of the trip to keep the gifts the pairs would get for each other secret. In the end, ideally, no one would know what they were being given.

Yang and Ruby started in a small clothing boutique at one end of the strip. The clothes in this shop were made of all different kinds of luxurious materials, both foreign and domestic, along with a few displays of jewelry.

“Sooo,” Yang began. “You and Weiss.” She leafed through a rack of lacy-looking shirts. Ruby figured this was why Yang was so excited to go with Ruby first. She sighed.

“What about us?” Ruby picked up a cool-looking necklace with a cluster of colorful stones dangling from its thick chain. 

“You guys really serious about getting together?” Yang glanced over at Ruby before continuing. “I mean, reeeally serious about it?”

“Yeah, I am definitely seriously interested in her, sis!” Ruby’s brows furrowed as she put down the necklace and moved on to examine another piece. “More than anyone I’ve ever liked, I think…” She said, quieter this time. 

“Okay, okay, sorry, I just want to make sure you’ve got a clear head about this stuff.” Yang checked the price of a blouse before she made a face and put the blouse back. She shuffled over to the jewelry stand Ruby was now absently staring at. “Do you really love her?”

Ruby nearly dropped the bracelet she was holding, unprepared for the closeness of Yang’s voice. She hadn’t seen her move closer. She put the bracelet down and faced her, locking eyes with her big sister. Yang raised an eyebrow at the serious face Ruby had put on.

“I do, Yang. I love her a lot.” Yang guessed Ruby thought she was trying to grill her or something. Eh, it’s not like she hadn’t done that before, but in this case, she was just genuinely curious. All she wanted was her little sister to be happy.

“Rubes, I believe you, chill out!” She laughed and mussed up Ruby’s hair. Ruby scrunched up her face and gently batted Yang’s hands away. “Don’t get all defensive on me.” 

“I won’t, I won’t.” Ruby turned around again to keep examining the collection of jewelry. Yang absentmindedly looked at the same display over Ruby’s shoulder. Yang eyed a bracelet of black and silver bands as she got lost in her thoughts. Winter Holiday vacation was usually the same every year, and hadn’t diverged from normalcy like this since, well, since her dad stormed out of the house after he almost caught her three fingers deep into Blake out on the balcony (‘almost’ because Yang prided herself in having a “good pull-out game” so to speak.) But Yang was getting off track. 

No, Yang couldn’t let this chance for some actual excitement pass her by. If her little sister was going to take after her in literally any aspect romantically, she was prone to feel the same way about competition as Yang did. Or at least similarly… Okay, she didn’t want to delve any deeper into that train of thought, definitely not in the direction of her little sis’ romantic escapades. She just barely shuddered outwardly. No thank you. However. She did know of a little secret Blake has that she was always out to exploit in literally any way possible. And a bit of “friendly competition” wouldn’t be the worst way to take advantage of that on this vacation.

Yang also knew that Ruby would not turn down a challenge that she thought she could win. And seeing as Weiss happened to get red as a tomato at literally any sign of physical affection from Ruby, as demonstrated by yesterday and the kiss on the cheek Ruby gave her before strolling over to Yang today, there was no way Ruby hadn’t noticed. She had nearly been unable to contain her laughter at the way Weiss tried to hide the blush on her face by quickly turning on her heel when Yang had made eye-contact with her. Yep, this was gonna be good.

“Hey Rubes,” Yang started as they exited the boutique, “What would you say to a little challenge?” Ruby quirked an eyebrow.

“Uh, depends?” 

“Okay, since you and Weiss are probably gonna be lovestruck idiots for the foreseeable future—”

“Hey, we are not idiots!” 

“If you say so, little red ‘living-room-make-out session.’”

“That was literally one time!”

“I know you know what ‘get a room’ means, because you and Weiss tell Blake and I to do it more than enough.” Yang’s tone caught Ruby off guard and she blushed, reluctantly giving in. “So anyway, because of all that, I propose a little bet!” Yang smirked.

“What kind of bet?” Ruby narrowed her eyes.

“The kind where if I lose, I do all the dishes for the rest of the Winter Holidays.”

“…I’m listening”

“I bet I can make my girlfriend super flustered way faster than you can make Weiss flustered.” Ruby raised her knuckles to her chin, considering.

“All the dishes, huh?”

“Yep, allll the dishes.” Yang could see the mischievous light flicker across Ruby’s face, and for a second, she thought she might just be in danger of doing a shit ton of dishes.

“Deal!”

-x-

During vacation, nearly every night was movie night. The Xiao Long-Rose household had an extensive backlog of holovids thanks to Taiyang’s affinity for “the classics” and every year they had more and more to choose from. After popcorn was made and drinks were poured, the girls settled down to watch. Yang and Blake shared the armchair to the right of the couch which was left for Ruby and Weiss to spread out upon. 

Blake had chosen to sit cross-legged on top of Yang’s lap who had pulled the coffee table closer so she could prop her feet up on it. The angle of the armchair allowed Yang to see the holoprojector even though Blake was directly in front of her. Though, as she rested her cheek on her girlfriend’s back, she wasn’t too concerned with her view of the screen tonight. Blake had also brought one of her favorite stolen blankets to drape over the two of them, she was rarely seen without one at least around her shoulders while inside the house.

Ruby and Weiss assumed their usual position on the couch, both resting their heads on either of its arms, while Weiss placed her legs over Ruby’s. With so much space left on the couch for just the two of them, why not take advantage of it? That was the conclusion they both silently came to over the years, but it took Ruby only a few moments to realize that it might not be the best position to win the bet her sister had challenged her to.

The movie they had decided upon was a thriller, and Weiss, though she would have to be pushed into admitting it, loved thrillers. Thrillers, action movies, dramas. Pretty much anything that had a captivating element of danger. Ruby had learnt this after a time and had always suggested they watch one on Weiss’ behalf. Weiss was in the habit of saying “whatever, I don’t care” when Yang asked everyone what kind of movie they wanted to watch, but Ruby suspected Weiss secretly appreciated when she made the suggestion. Now she was even more sure, seeing as she now realized Weiss appreciated her a lot more than she previously thought.

Fifteen or so minutes into the movie Weiss is already watching the screen intently, and Ruby smiled softly at her poorly hidden enjoyment. Ruby was about to turn her head to join Weiss in watching when she caught Yang’s taunting smile from behind Blake’s back. Ruby narrowed her eyes, scrunching up her nose and sticking her tongue out at her sister. Yang winked before turning her attention elsewhere, reaching a hand up to brush Blake’s hair to the side so she could access the back of her neck. Ruby quickly turned her head toward the holoprojector screen before she could fully witness the kiss Yang pressed to the back of Blake’s neck. She blushed as she caught the soft sigh that exited Blake’s mouth. Damn, Yang was totally going to win for sure if she didn’t do something soon…

A few minutes passed as Ruby tried to think of a way to guarantee her victory against her sister. Around 35 minutes into the movie, she snuck another look over at her sister to size up how the competition was going. Her mouth hung open slightly in confusion as she squinted. How the hell had Yang gotten Blake to turn around and bury her face into Yang’s neck already!? Ruby could just make out the shape of Yang’s arms under the blanket wrapped around Blake, one of her hands obviously rubbing gentle circles into her back. To Ruby’s chagrin, Yang caught her looking and stuck out her tongue mockingly. 

Ruby pouted angrily and looked away again. The movie was reaching some sort of intense music montage of the characters gearing up for battle. Getting distracted for a moment, Ruby grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it into her mouth. Once she finished chewing, she was greeted by the subtle wet sound of her sister kissing Blake, a sound she really wished she wasn’t so familiar with. She barely suppressed a frustrated growl as she turned the holoprojector’s volume up via remote. 

She needed to act quickly. Throwing away some of her more elaborate plans, she shifted on the couch, sitting up and removing her legs from underneath Weiss’. A small, barely audible squeak of protest sounded from her pale-haired partner, but she did not take her eyes off the screen. The next thing she did caused a more than barely audible squeak, Weiss tearing her eyes away from the screen to glare down at Ruby who now had her chin resting on Weiss’ stomach, laying in between her legs.

“Ruby!” She whispered harshly, her voice sounding displeased, but the redness on her face told a different tale. Ruby grinned up at her as innocently as she could manage.

“What? That side of the couch was getting uncomfortable!” She said in a hushed tone. Weiss rolled her eyes, trying to look more annoyed than embarrassed.

“Fine, just watch the movie.” She turned her head back toward the screen. 

Ruby was practically holding her breath, unsure of herself in this new territory of overt physical affection. She saw Yang do stuff like this all the time, so it can’t be that scary to her. So why did her gut feel like it was full of butterflies? She took in a calming breath, turning her head so she could rest her cheek on Weiss’ stomach. She closed her eyes as Weiss’ scent hit her senses like a punch to the side of the head, it was just as dizzying. She smelled so good. She vaguely remembered the mission in the forest and recalled telling her she smelled nice back then. She doesn’t exactly remember if Weiss heard her, but she would definitely try and remind her that she does later. She’s jarred out of her own thoughts with Blake’s voice just barely audible above the volume of the movie.

“Yang…” It sounded like a shaky warning. This was bad, Ruby reckons, it definitely wouldn’t be long until Yang was victorious. Shit! Panicking just a little, Ruby slowly lifted her head and made as if to turn it to the other side, but instead she stopped, lips hovering over the bottom hem of Weiss’ sweater. Weiss hadn’t noticed yet. Okay. Here goes nothing. Ruby carefully hiked up Weiss’ top, a few centimeters at a time, and when it was just past her lips, she placed a kiss onto Weiss’ bare skin. She heard Weiss’ breath hitch and felt her stiffen. There was a moment of complete motionlessness as Ruby looked up at her without withdrawing her lips. 

Weiss didn’t turn her head away from the screen as she reached a trembling hand down to lift her sweater up just a touch more. Taking it as an affirmation, Ruby continued leaving tender kisses all over Weiss’ stomach, her hands leaving the hem of the sweater in favor of her hips, gently brushing over exposed skin. Weiss shivered, and Ruby swore she could see her blush spread down her neck. She smiled against her skin and continued, subconsciously settling more comfortably into the couch. 

It only took a few seconds, after that subconscious movement, for the bet between sisters to suddenly see a winner. Because, as Ruby wriggled between Weiss’ legs and pressed another kiss to her abdomen, her fingers brushed a particularly sensitive patch of skin on the inside edges of Weiss’ hip bones. Weiss didn’t quite catch herself fast enough as she let out a strangled, and surprisingly lewd noise from the back of her throat. Both her and Ruby’s eyes went wide as the whole room went suddenly quiet, the movie currently showing a dramatic scene as one of the characters met their untimely end.

Blake pulled away from Yang, her eyes wide as well, though Yang’s expression practically dripped with guilt, as she flashed Blake an innocent smile. That immediately set Blake’s ears flat, her eyes narrowing at Yang, it did not take long at all for her to realize Yang had something to do with this. As she pieced the situation together, Yang coughed and looked to the side, something that was basically an admission as far as Blake was concerned.

“You’re fucking appalling.” Blake hissed quietly as she removed herself from Yang’s lap. She snatched up the blanket and wrapped it around herself before storming upstairs. Yang stood up and called out after her.

“Wait, babe!” She nearly tripped over herself trying to catch up with her girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Weiss looked mortified, her hands covering her face. From the parts that are exposed, Ruby could see only red. It took a moment or so longer than she intended to move from her position between Weiss’ legs to a more appropriate position for apologizing. Which she did profusely, leaving out the part where she definitely was trying to get a rise out of Weiss on purpose. She didn’t know Weiss was that sensitive, so technically it wasn’t her fault entirely! She doesn’t really believe herself when she tries to rationalize.

The night ended early for them as they both awkwardly made their way upstairs after turning off the holovid. When Ruby turned over in a fit of rustling blankets for the fifteenth time, Weiss finally gave up on trying to ignore her, and ordered Ruby to stop making so much damn noise and join her already. They once again fell asleep in each other’s arms, for the second night in a row.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Weiss give Yang and Blake a taste of their own medicine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's the smut!

The next couple days passed without any more competitions or living room make-out sessions. However, what they lacked in those departments of embarrassment, was made up for completely by the noises that seeped out of Yang’s room late at night. Blake had apparently learned the art of silencing herself when in the throes of passion, Yang, however, had apparently not mastered it as well as she thought.

Neither Ruby nor Weiss ever brought up the fact that their sleep is sometimes interrupted by a yell or loud whine to Blake or Yang, at least not directly. They knew both Yang and Blake could read subtlety, especially snide comments about “how their night went” every so often, yet it seemed the two could not be stopped. Ever since the events of two nights ago, the noises in question had been unmistakably Yang-sounding, which was not the norm. Weiss could only guess what Blake was doing to the poor woman, not that she ever truly wanted to know. Ignoring those noises became Ruby’s top priority in the evening, she even took to wearing her headphones to bed, much to Weiss’ dismay, as headphones sticking into her boob in the morning was not at all a comfortable feeling.

After a long third day, filled with mostly cooking shenanigans as they prepared for the end of Winter Holidays meal they always shared with Tai and Qrow, the girls retired early, Ruby and Weiss intending to relax a bit. Weiss had brought a book to read after all, and Ruby wanted to see if she could finally kick that virtual ninja’s ass. Blake and Yang decided to stay down stairs for a while, settling down in the floor in front of the fireplace with cups of hot coco in hand. An hour or so later Weiss heard the stairs creak, signifying the two were coming up.

Weiss sighed as she turns a page over, hoping for once they could actually be quiet. Across from her, on her own bed, Ruby tapped away at her scroll, her tongue protruding slightly from her lips in concentration. Weiss smiled at her expression, finding it awfully cute, before turning her attention back to her book. It didn’t take long for the first signs of imminent disruption to occur, a muted bump here, some muffled laugher there. Weiss sighed once again and frowned, focusing on her book getting harder and harder. Ruby had either not noticed any of the indicating factors or was doing a great job ignoring them. Based on how absorbed she was in her game, Weiss reckoned it is the former and not the latter.

-x-

Not more than a dozen or so minutes later Weiss’ ears became privy to the usual suspect noises. She lowered her head and smacked her forehead with her book in exasperation. 

“Great, just great…” She mumbled. “Can they not keep their hands off each other for more than five seconds?” She didn’t really intend for her question to get an answer. This was the third night in a row, it was getting ridiculous. They had to need a break at some point, didn’t they?

“Yeah, I was hoping they would just chill, ya know, but I guess this is why we can’t have nice things.” Ruby mused as she tapped harder on her scroll.

“I guess we can’t, can we?” Weiss chuckled as she closed her book and laid it down on the bed. She decided watching Ruby play her weird ninja game would be more entertaining than trying to ignore her two other teammates on her own so made her way over to Ruby’s side of the room. When she plopped down onto Ruby’s blankets Ruby looked up from her game long enough to flash her a quick smile before turning her attention back to her scroll. Weiss scooched closer to Ruby and rested her head on her shoulder, watching as she controls some sort of green ninja robot-guy who jumped and dodged across the screen.

She was doing well, assumedly; her adversary’s health-bar was taking quite a beating. The virtual battle continued, both Ruby’s character and his blue-tinted enemy landing hit after hit on each other. Finally bright orange words flashed across the screen ‘FINAL ROUND.’ Ruby was concentrating hard, and Weiss could not help but feel her partner’s anticipation, her hand tightening on Ruby’s opposite shoulder. Ruby chuckled at that, turning momentarily to smile at her.

“Didn’t know you were so passionate about video games Weiss.”

“I’m not, oh—pay attention, the round is starting!” Weiss frantically gestured to the scroll and Ruby laughed before returning her attention to the screen.

The blue adversary, now a huge dragon, launched a volley of attacks that halved Ruby’s health bar and Weiss gasped. “That was so unfair!”

“I know, right!?” Ruby’s fingers moved rapidly, her character completing a number of difficult looking combo-attacks. 

Both of the virtual fighters’ health bars were nearly drained as the battle began to reach its conclusion, Ruby about to unleash a deadly combination of attacks with the green ninja’s blade. Until, at the very last second, Ruby’s fingers fumbled as she was suddenly startled by a loud, but muffled, shout that is quickly cut-off from down the hall. 

The blue dragon then killed the green ninja and the words ‘GAME OVER’ become plastered on the screen of her scroll. Ruby groaned loudly in frustration and fell backwards onto her bed dramatically, scroll discarded, she dragged her hands down her face. Weiss face was frozen in disbelief, her cheeks slightly pink, she stared down at the scroll and then at Ruby who grumbled from underneath her hands.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Weiss said. Ruby only grumbled again in response. She eventually removed her hands from her face, looking hopelessly over at Weiss.

“I was so close to beating him.”

“I know! I saw!”

Ruby propped herself up onto her elbows and sighs. She closed her eyes and took a second to overcome the hit to her pride that comes with losing at a video game in front of her partner-turned-girlfriend. Once that feeling passed all that was left was vague embarrassment and an uncanny desire for vengeance against her other two teammates. She sat back up and turned to Weiss who raised an eyebrow at the determined grin she now had on her face.

“We should totally get back at them.” Weiss’ other eyebrow rose, and she gave her a curious look.

“And just how do you propose we do that?” She asked, uncertainly. Without real thought, or hesitation, Ruby replied confidently.

“Easy, we give them a taste of their own medicine!” A second or two passed before either of them truly registered what had just been said. Ruby’s confidence plummeted when Weiss’ face violently reddened, and her eyes went wide. 

“That is… An absolutely awful way to proposition someone.” Weiss pointed out, without taking her eyes off of Ruby who averted her gaze immediately, her cheeks starting to burn.

“Crap, s-sorry Weiss! Wow, you’re so right, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking and—” Weiss cut her off.

“I didn’t say no, did I?” Ruby looked back up at her in shock. Though her face was still red, Weiss’ expression was wildly different. Her face looked kind of like how it did when they kissed for the first time. Hungry. Ruby shivered and swallowed thickly. 

“N-no, I guess you didn’t.” Her confidence slowly began to rise again, a half smile making its way onto her face.

“Exactly.” Before Ruby could say anything in response, Weiss swooped down and kissed her full on the lips. Instinctively, Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss’ waist and pulled her down on top of her, falling back onto the bed again. Weiss didn’t break the kiss as she extended one arm to support herself, the other busy with Ruby’s hair, her fingers combing through it. Ruby sighed into the kiss, and as her lips parted, Weiss was already eagerly running her tongue across the bottom one. 

Ruby happily let Weiss’ tongue slip past her teeth as she let out a small moan and ran her hands down Weiss’ sides, causing her to shiver. Weiss forgot holding herself up, instead opting to tangle both of her hands in Ruby’s hair while sinking down closer. Ruby stilled her hands at the bottom of Weiss’ shirt, hesitating for a moment. Weiss pulled away from the kiss breathless and flicked her hair out of her face, her eyes momentarily flickering from Ruby’s eyes to her lips and back again. Ruby swore she could feel her heart flutter as she tugged at Weiss’ sweater.

“Can I take this off?”

“Only if you’re willing to make a trade.” She sat up and feigned a haughty look before smiling. Ruby smirked playfully, subconsciously biting her lip as she slowly pulled Weiss’ sweater off. It wasn’t as though it was her first time seeing Weiss without a shirt, but she still stopped to stare, completely enamored. Weiss blushed under Ruby’s gaze as it raked up and down her body.

“Stop staring, you dolt…” She reached up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear and averted her own gaze, the attention from Ruby making her uncharacteristically nervous. She chose instead to examine the view out the window. The sun had almost completely sunken below the horizon, it painted the sky in warm colors, hues of orange and pink. Ruby’s fingers suddenly ripped Weiss away from the scene outside as they brushed against her abdomen, her eyes were half-lidded but still fueled by curiosity. Weiss’ breath hitched.

“You’re so pretty, Weiss.” Weiss was still as Ruby made eye contact wither her, her hands gently moving upward and then around to her back. She continued to lose herself in Ruby’s intense silver eyes as she felt her start to unclasp her bra. She helped her slide it off, tossing it to the side to join her sweater on the floor. She had never considered herself particularly well-endowed, but that didn’t seem to be an issue as a blush slowly spread across Ruby’s face, her hands hesitating just before making contact with pale, rosy-tipped flesh. “Can I...?”

“Please.” Weiss nearly took hold of Ruby’s hands to press them against her, the anticipation starting to become too much for her patience. She didn’t have to as Ruby cupped her hands around Weiss’ breasts, eliciting a small sound out of her. She was still caught in Ruby’s gaze as her thumbs brushed over her nipples, and Weiss gripped Ruby’s shirt, swallowing another soft noise. Ruby wasted no time lavishing her breasts with touches and leaning up to spread kisses across them. When she licked a stripe up the center of Weiss’ chest, meeting her eyes as she withdraws her tongue, Weiss decided she needed to kiss Ruby now. 

She pushed Ruby back down onto the bed, the momentum causing their lips to crash together, though not quite hard enough to be unpleasant. Weiss let out needy little noises every time she had to unseal her lips from Ruby’s for air, and it caused Ruby’s belly to ignite with a feeling that became familiar only recently; desire. She licked her way into Weiss’ mouth, tasting her, but, like it had been every time they’d made out this week, it wasn’t enough. She wanted to get closer somehow. She hooked a leg around Weiss, grabbed her wrists, and flipped them both over, reversing their positions. She smiled at Weiss’ surprised expression. Ruby took the lead, pressing herself closer to Weiss as she kissed her again. Her hands massaged at her breasts, fingers lightly digging into skin. Weiss couldn’t stop herself from moaning into the kiss, a rush of heat coursing through her and pooling between her thighs.

It eventually occurred to Weiss that Ruby was being completely unfair as she felt her hands move downward to pull at the hem of her jeans. She broke the kiss and looked up at Ruby with as much indignance as she could muster, which was admittedly not a lot.

“Excuse me, I don’t believe you’ve held up your end of our trade agreement, Ruby Rose.” The attitude behind her words was greatly reduced by how breathless she was. Ruby giggled at her as she sat up and held her hands up in surrender.

“You’re right, you’re right.” Ruby didn’t let Weiss respond before she lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it aside as well. Weiss took more than a moment to admire Ruby’s physique. It had changed quite a bit over their time together. Soft musculature hidden by teenage baby fat had become defined shoulders and a taught set of abs. Though not as intense as her big sister, Ruby’s physicality had made itself known, swinging a weapon around that was twice her size as gracefully as if it were weightless tended to show its effects. 

“Done ogling me yet, Ms. Schnee?” Ruby hardly tried to hide the laughter behind her voice. Weiss halfheartedly pinched her arm before pulling her back down for another kiss.

This one was short-lived compared to the others, Ruby letting out a whine as Weiss pulls away. Her complaint was cut short by the look Weiss was giving her, she looked almost desperate, brows furrowed, bottom lip caught between her teeth. It sent waves through Ruby, causing her heart to beat even faster. She could tell Weiss wanted to say something by the way she kept looking away from her as her lip quivered, the way she’d stopped moving her hands. Instinctively, Ruby began to say her name.

“Wei—”

“Ruby…” Ruby smiled but Weiss only looked more hesitant. Ruby kissed her nose in an attempt to comfort her, and it appeared to work, Weiss closing her eyes and taking a breath. When she opened her eyes again, they had that look, the intensity they had before. “Ruby, I-I…” she paused, flicking her gaze down to find Ruby’s hand and grabbing it. She placed it near her navel. “I want you…please.” Ruby’s lips were parted slightly, and Weiss swore she could see her pupils become blown. Before she even had time to swallow the nervousness in her throat, Ruby’s lips were at her neck.

Ruby had completely explored Weiss’ neck the last time they made out, but it never seemed to get dull, the soft skin felt nice against her lips, and here she was in the best position to drink in Weiss’ scent. It was also a great place to extract the prettiest noises from Weiss. As she worked her way down to Weiss’ collarbone, her fingers worked at unbuttoning her jeans. Weiss helped her once her jeans were unfastened, guiding her hands as they slid both pants and underwear off of her, parting only to get them completely off. Weiss didn’t have time to shiver from open air hitting her now exposed lower half, as Ruby immediately repositioned herself on top of her, kissing and nuzzling into her neck. Weiss groaned softly and wrapped her arms around Ruby’s neck.

Ruby leaned on her left forearm as she pressed kisses to Weiss’ neck and chest, her right hand spread flat against the outside of Weiss’ thigh. She slowly eased it up toward her hip and Weiss started to tremble slightly, her eyes squeezing shut. When Ruby moved her hand back down her thigh, she changed direction, sliding her hand around to her inner thigh and stroking it. Weiss softly gasped, her nails digging into the back of Ruby’s neck. 

Ruby continued to trace shapes into Weiss’ thigh as she lifted her head to look at her. She was a bit unsure how to proceed.

“I’ve, um, never done this before…” Weiss gave her a quick kiss that chased away the uncertainty gnawing away at her.

“It’s okay, Ruby, I haven’t really either.” Weiss’ smile was reassuring, despite the fact that it was being used to cover up her own embarrassment.

“Okay… I’ll just do it like when I’m alone in—" The implications alone sent a brand new rush of heat to the apex of Weiss’ thighs, and her groan cut Ruby off. Weiss covered her face with one hand, needing a physical barrier to hide her embarrassment this time. “Holy crap, Weiss that was so cute…”

“Sh-shut up and do something before you ruin the mood—ah!” Weiss threw her arm back around Ruby’s neck as she felt Ruby’s fingers dip down and press against her core. She shivered and buried her head in Ruby’s neck, annoyance forgotten, her hips jerked upward in order to create some sort of friction.

Ruby’s pride surged at how completely soaked her girlfriend was. She honestly didn’t think she was doing great, but she’d stopped caring about that now, starting to slowly rub her fingers against Weiss’ delicate folds. Weiss’ reactions emboldened her, especially the way she kept moving her hips. Ruby wanted more, she wanted Weiss to feel good, she wanted to know she’s making her feel good, she wanted to hear it. Her fingers, now slick, started rubbing tiny circles around Weiss’ clit, eliciting pleasured moans. She could tell Weiss was trying to hold them back, trying to stifle them. She mumbled into Weiss’ ear.

“I wanna hear you…” Weiss almost immediately acquiesced, whimpering into Ruby’s neck. Weiss could feel herself getting close already, the idea that Ruby was the one getting her so worked up felt almost too good, but she knew she needed more. Ruby’s fingers pressed a little harder even as she moved to straddle one of Weiss’ thighs. Weiss moaned at the feeling of the heat between Ruby’s legs as she pressed herself against her thigh. Weiss raised her leg a bit to give Ruby some resistance, deciding that if Ruby was going to make her feel this good, she would be returning the favor. Ruby’s sweatpants were a bit rough against Weiss’s bare thigh, but she couldn’t care less as she rose her head up to capture Ruby’s lips in a kiss.

It was then that Ruby’s fingers wandered down to push into Weiss experimentally. Two of them slid in without resistance, and Weiss eagerly canted her hips into Ruby’s hand, letting out an encouraging moan. The friction and Weiss’ noises alone were almost enough to get Ruby off, but she was too busy focusing on Weiss to pay attention to her own satisfaction. Her own want only fueled her in pleasuring her partner. She pumped her fingers in and out in a steady rhythm and the sound that Weiss made might’ve been enough to make even Yang blush. 

An idea that had eluded Ruby until now suddenly occurred to her, and she pulled away from Weiss’ kiss without warning, stilling her fingers, and leaving Weiss breathless as she whined in protest. The complaint was cut short as Ruby slowly kissed her way down the length of Weiss torso, then farther down, past her navel, and suddenly what would become part of Ruby’s most favorite scent reached her nose as Ruby’s lips encircled Weiss’ clit. The sight of Ruby between her legs nearly did Weiss in, a long and low groan exiting her lips as she laid her head back.

“R-Ruby…” She couldn’t seem to form a proper sentence in her head as Ruby continued her ministrations, slowly beginning to move her fingers again, this time curling them slightly as she pumped them in and out. Very quickly Weiss’ every breath turned into a small moan as she grew ever closer to climax. When Ruby flicked her tongue over her clit and gently started sucking on it, Weiss threw her hands into Ruby’s hair and ground unceremoniously against her mouth. She very nearly screamed as she came, instead she managed a shaky “Ruby!” and Ruby didn’t relent until Weiss rode out her orgasm completely.

Weiss didn’t think she’d ever come that hard in her life. She also realized that she had absolutely no idea how loud she just was, and also how embarrassing this was going to be later. However those thoughts were pushed aside as Ruby crawled back up and kissed her. She almost choked at the taste of herself on Ruby’s tongue, not in disgust, but in shock at how it made her almost immediately wet again. Ruby was smiling down at her mischievously and it made her wonder if she’d done that on purpose. She nipped at Ruby’s lip, pulling her into a kiss that was just a touch rough, before pulling away and gazing up at her.

“That was… really good.” Weiss said, unable to find a way to express that eloquently. Ruby giggled at that.

“Thanks!” Ruby pecked her on the lips and rose her head back up with a thoughtful expression. “Think we got ‘em?” Oh, right, revenge.

“I’m pretty sure we did, Ruby…”

“Yesss.” Ruby kissed her again. “I love you, Weiss.”

“I love you too but if you think I’m done with you, you’re gravely mistaken.” Ruby chuckled.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes.” Weiss then flipped Ruby over who yelped in surprise. “Now get your damn clothes off.”

-x-

Down the hall and behind a closed door that’s far from soundproof, Blake was laying on top of a sleeping Yang, her head resting just above her breasts. But Blake was far from asleep, her upper ears involuntarily twitching with every sound she is unfortunately privy to. Blake's eyes were narrowed and her lips were pursed, a dark blush painting her cheeks. So… that’s what it was like. She was appalled that Yang didn’t even stir when Weiss absolutely obliterated Blake’s sensitive hearing with Ruby’s name. Maybe… maybe it was better that Yang didn’t hear that, actually. Blake sighed and closed her eyes, the sounds seeming to have reached a pause, tomorrow would surely be an interesting morning.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there folks, im new here, and this is the first fic I've completed in... A HOT MINUTE. i frequent AO3 a lot but I've never posted anything so here's my shot at a tiny multichap whiterose fic. Is it a holiday fic? yes. is it nearly summer? also yes. why would i post it now? Uhhh impatient! Thanks for reading, will be back with some pretty huge au fics or tiny ficlets. We'll see i guess! Hope y'all enjoy!


End file.
